Coffee With Dragons

Curiouser and curiouser

I found an article this morning about the rap/hip-hop industry banning certain swear words from their music, labeling them “extreme curse words.” There were three. I’m not going to reveal them here, but I was surprised. I guess, coming from a WASP background, I didn’t consider them swear words, per se. Rude, yes. Offensive, yes, if one is not a dog breeder, veterinarian, or gardener. I don’t listen to rap or hip-hop, not only because the lyrics (words as well as subject matter) offend me, but also because I prefer music produced by instruments, not synthesizers. Call me crazy, but I prefer a Mozart symphony or Ralph Stanley to P Diddy.

What made me laugh, though, was the phrase “extreme curse words.” How, exactly, does one define those? The words they chose don’t necessarily pertain to any specific race, religion, or gender. They have all been used against people who don’t fit the mold on the surface. There are a couple dozen swear words I find much more offensive, but what do I know? I’m just a real-music-loving, law-abiding, monogamous Christian Midwestern female WASP.